Sleight of Hand
by ReillyJade
Summary: Lily had really struck a nerve this time. James was fully aware he annoyed her to no end and wasn't always as gentlemanly as he should be, but she could have at least cut him some slack for a change. Snide remarks against Severus and his repeated requests for a date aside, he really did care. How could she not see that? {Written for Sophy.}


_DISCLAIMER:_ All of the places and characters in this story belong to the genius Ms. J.K. Rowling. No profit is being made from this story. It only serves to (hopefully) entertain_._

Rated T for language.

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_**-Sleight of Hand-**_

"_See the stone set in your eyes.  
__See the thorn twist in your side.  
__I'll wait for you.  
__Sleight of hand and twist of fate,  
__On a bed of nails, she makes me wait..."  
_~U2

James Potter sauntered back to Gryffindor Tower after a rare but necessary trip to the library. It was nearing midnight and the corridors were eerily empty, save for the occasional ghost drifting by in a lazy trance. On any other night, he would have seized such an opportunity to slip out of the castle unnoticed with his broom, but for the first time in a while, he wasn't at all in the mood for a solo ride around the pitch. His mind was too frenzied for flying.

It had been half a day since the incident happened, and he still couldn't believe the nerve of Lily Evans.

True, he had a habit of frequently giving Severus a hard time, but it was all in good fun. Okay, maybe it wasn't _always _in good fun, but that wasn't the point. The point was that sleazeball actually deserved it for once, and Lily, of all people, should have known that considering she'd been the victim of his antics this time around. Severus Snape had gone far beyond making an arrogant comment or looking at someone the wrong way; he'd called Lily – sweet, intelligent, gorgeous Lily – the foulest name he possibly could, and James was _furious_.

In his opinion, levitating that greasy bastard above the Black Lake and threatening to let him fall right into the deep middle wasn't even close to being a fair punishment, but Lily had given him hell for it. She'd used some colorful language toward James and ordered him to let Severus go or else she'd fetch Professor McGonagall. James had obliged, but _only _because he had a match on Saturday and couldn't risk getting detention. If he'd had his way, Severus Snape would have been dropped to the merpeople without a second thought.

But no, Lily just _had_ to get in the way, and James couldn't understand why. Severus had called her a Mudblood, for Merlin's sake! He could appreciate Lily's resilience and strength, but how could that have not gotten to her, especially when it came from someone she deemed a close friend? How could she have passed over the chance to stab him in the back just as hard, instead choosing to follow him and attempt to reason with him?

What bothered James most was Lily had chastised him instead. Perhaps his actions weren't very tactful – he knew that – but come _on!_ He'd been _defending _her, for crying out loud, not messing with Severus for the fun of it! How could she not have seen that? James was fully aware he annoyed Lily to no end and wasn't always as gentlemanly as he should be, but she could have at least cut him some slack for a change. Snide remarks against Severus and his repeated requests for a date aside, he really _did _give a damn.

When was she going to see that Severus was a horrible person and there was no hope for changing that? Lily was bright, but sometimes James swore she didn't have a shred of common sense. Either that, or her heart of gold clouded her judgment. Whatever the reason, it was the first time James was ever angry with her. He'd always found her need to intervene quite cute, but Lily had struck a nerve this time.

He almost ignored her completely when he saw her upon entering the common room. Though her back was to him, he knew it was Lily; he'd stared at that lovely mane of fiery hair many times, and he knew her locks were the only ones that could blend in with the hearth's flames so well. On any other night, James would would have taken advantage of the empty room and sat next to her; he'd talk about Quidditch or maybe ask for a kiss, but not tonight.

James headed straight for the stairs, not even glancing her way until he involuntarily caught a glimpse of her face out of the corner of his eye. Her emerald eyes were flooded with hurt as silent tears rolled down her flushed face. She didn't notice him standing there; she was far too lost in her own thoughts to tear her gaze from the burning fire before her. She was no doubt thinking about Severus, James was certain.

He instinctively wanted to make some sort of malicious comment that would make her feel even worse than she already was; she bloody deserved it for how she treated him earlier that day. However, in a move that was so uncharacteristic of him, James stopped himself. His heart softened because it was clear Lily actually _was_ hurt by what Severus said despite the brave face she'd put on in front of everyone. He _so_ wanted to be his usual self and give the person who'd wronged him a taste of her own medicine, but the fact of the matter was this was Lily Evans, he adored her, and he'd never seen her look so vulnerable and heartbroken.

James pointed his wand at one of two pieces of parchment left behind on an end table nearby and silently transfigured it into a cotton handkerchief. He'd never been good at the whole comforting-through-words thing, so this was the best he could do. He quietly approached her and handed her the small, white linen.

Lily hadn't noticed his presence until his hand was beside her face. She snapped out of her somber trance, flinching slightly at the sudden intrusion of her solitude, but relaxed when she saw that it was him: just harmless James, and no one else.

"Thank you," she sniffled, accepting his gesture with a delicate, shaking hand.

James nodded. He had every intention to leave, but instead sat down beside her. He didn't loop his arm around her shoulders the way he wanted to, not wishing to cross any boundaries and upset her even more. He remained a respectable distance away as she continued to weep, keeping his hands on his knees and not saying a word.

He wanted to be there for her, be a _friend_ for her, and it shocked him to realize that he honestly didn't know how. There was no question that he and Lily had always been friendly regardless of the bickering and his disdain for Severus, but it wasn't until that moment when James realized he'd never actually been a real friend to her, or vice versa. There'd never been a time where one of them could've consoled the other, helped one another with something that wasn't schoolwork, or laughed together, just the two of them, without having to share the fun with other friends surrounding them.

No wonder she'd always denied him a date. James had never been anything but an acquaintance and housemate, and an often arrogant, obnoxious one to boot. Despite their common friendships with Remus, Marlene, and the rest of their fellow fifth-year Gryffindors, he and Lily had never been friends – not truly, at least.

"I'm sorry," Lily said suddenly. "About earlier, I mean. You were just trying to help."

_So she did notice_, he thought, a slight burst of happiness jolting through him at this small victory.

"Don't worry about it," he answered.

"I... I can't believe he said that. I'm so humiliated."

"You shouldn't be," James assured her. "He's the arse, not you."

"But is that what everyone else thinks? That I'm just a Mudblood?"

"Don't use that word!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's derogatory, and I don't like when people use derogatory terms against my friends."

She smiled at this. It was only slight, but a smile nonetheless.

"Thanks," she mumbled. "I wish Sev was the same way. He's – _was_ – my best friend. We've known each other since we were kids. How could he say such a thing? After all the times I've stood up for him..." Her voice trailed off.

"Hey," James said, "for what it's worth, all those times you've had to stand up for him on my account were because I wanted you to be my friend, not his."

Lily let out a small chuckle, and James smiled; he'd _finally _made her laugh. Though her eyes were still wet, they weren't filled with annoyance like they usually were when she was around him. For once, Lily was at ease with him, and James was hit with not only a rush of his own joy, but with the sudden realization that perhaps this is the sort of thing he should have been doing all along.

"That probably wasn't the best way to go about that," she said, "but thank you."

"You going to be alright?"

"Yeah, eventually," she said with a nod. "I'll get there. Still hurts a bit, though, you know?"

"Fancy having a bit of fun, then?"

Lily narrowed her red, puffy eyes at him apprehensively.

"I'm not sure you and I have the same idea of _fun_, Potter."

"This time, I think we'll agree."

James did, in fact, have an idea. She was feeling abandoned and betrayed, and the best way to make her feel the opposite, something he was determined to do, was surround her with friends. He took the second piece of parchment from the end table and tore it in two. After hastily writing brief messages on each, he folded them up, charmed them, and sent them zooming up the staircase to the dormitories.

"Let's go," he said.

"Where are we going?"

"The Great Hall."

"The Great Hall?" Lily repeated. "But the curfew..."

"To hell with the curfew," he retaliated. "Really, Evans, can you forget about the rules just once in your life?"

"You're such a pigheaded arse."

"I know. Come on."

Within five minutes, he and Lily were standing in the majestic, empty Great Hall. It was only dimly lit by the brass lamps hanging from the ceiling at this hour, and James tried to ignore how shiny and pretty Lily's tresses of red hair looked in the amber glow.

"What are we-" Lily began, but she was cut off by the sound of the door banging open, followed by an angry holler.

"What the hell, Potter?" Marlene demanded, holding up one of the pieces of parchment he'd sent up the stairs. She, Emmeline, Dorcas, and Mary, all pajama-clad, were walking in, hair tousled and eyes heavy with disturbed sleep.

"'_Get out of bed, you lazy arses?'" _Marlene continued, quoting the sloppily penned note. "'_Emergency in the Great Hall?' _And on paper charmed to scream at us until we woke, no less! Please enlighten us. What's the big emergency, you pompous little-"

But Marlene, too, was interrupted, this time by Sirius, who came running in with Remus and Peter in toe.

"Are we late for the food?" Sirius chanted happily. "Please don't tell me we're late for the food. Honestly, James, I was having an exquisite dream about a beach and-"

"Stop right there," Remus interjected with a grin. "I can already tell you're venturing into something none of us want to hear."

"Fine. But really, James – where are the goods?"

"Would you mind fetching them, actually?" James asked. "I didn't think you'd all get down here so fast. Just grab whatever, yeah?"

Sirius, accompanied by Peter, left, knowing the routine. The Marauders frequently snuck down to the Great Hall for late night snacks. One of the house elves down in the kitchens adored them for whatever reason, and he was always happy to provide them with whatever they wanted in exchange for them promising to never tell anyone it was him. Sirius and Peter returned with a large pitcher of pumpkin juice and a heaping platter of frosted cinnamon scones. A tray of goblets was levitating behind them.

Within minutes, all nine of them were joking and laughing together as they sat at the Gryffindor table enjoying their sugary-sweet pastries. James saw Lily relax, all traces of sadness slipping away from her lovely eyes with each passing second. He knew it was only temporary and she'd likely still be sad about Severus from time to time, but he liked knowing that he, _James_, had given her a moment of joy in the midst of heartache.

Lily's eyes met his from where she sat across the table between Dorcas and Marlene.

"Thank you," she mouthed with a smile.

James smiled, too. Perhaps taking the slow route wouldn't be so bad after all. At least she didn't appear to see him as nothing but a bothersome prat anymore. That itself was a win, even if she never agreed to date him.

Of course, he still had every intention to try to get her to say yes someday because she was Lily Evans and she, to him, was perfect.

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**Author's Note:** This was written for Sophy (Slytherin Cat) for the month of May as part of the 2014 GGE. Hope you enjoyed it, love!

Thanks for reading!


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